Adobe Illustrator tutorial : Briefcase

by Kahlil Gibran

The new O.S. Windows 7 has improved aesthetics to make the user interface at least more appealing. There are huge ultra detailed icons for folders, devices and so on. This time we will use Illustrator CS4 to create a nice briefcase with the Windows 7 style. You need only a few basics on how to copy, paste, rotate, scale and color the shapes. Let's focus on business.

Step 1

Start selecting the Rounded Rectangle Tool (fig. A) and make a single left click on the art board to bring the Rounded Rectangle options configuration window appear. Use 16 px. for corner radius (fig. B) and press Accept. Then left click and drag to draw a shape as shown.

Step 2

Take a look of the main axes (fig. B) that give a sensation of perspective. We will now transform the first rounded rectangle by selecting the Shear tool (fig. A) from the Tools Panel and drag the right side downwards. Also notice that the left side is just a bit smaller than the right one. This can be done by pressing E (Free Transform Tool) and dragging a corner while holding Ctrl after clicking.

Step 3

Now prepare a smooth curve which will be reused in Step 12. First, select the Line Segment Tool and draw a horizontal line. Take that line and apply the Zig Zag effect from the Effects Menu -- Distort & Transform (fig. A) and apply the configuration shown in the picture. After that, press -- (minus) or select the Delete Anchor Point Tool and delete some of the points (fig. B) in order to get a single curve and shear it just like you previously did in step 2. You should have now a line like in fig. C.

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